Reviews
2006-09-28
I have to give credit where credit is due, these guys can play, the album features some realy solid guitar riffs, fine drumming, its also very produced by the eternal Tom Morris, one of metal's best producers, the thing is – what do they do that's different?
I know that's an unfair question, metallic genres have a habit of repeating themselves, but the problem with the current metalcore/Emo wave is that most bands active in the genre do very little to invent something new, to have something that's unique, bringing something that just their own into the genre, and sadly enough, Phoenix Mourning fail doing just that – They just perform a rehashed, regurgitated form of melodic metal core a-la Killswitch/God Forbid Etc., with nothing else brought into the mix.
They have their moments, I cant deny that, as I said, some really solid guitar riffs, such as the Iron Maiden-ish opening riff to Niche, but then come in the screamed and emo vocals and we're just where we were a hundred times before, teenage angst and American sounding core, its been done before. The band's competency saves them at times, From Afar is an emo anthem to its basics, catchy and melodic, it has album sales written all over it, but quality wise, its nothing new or interesting to me.
These guys need an identity and character and then it might be something more, right now I couldn’t be bothered.
Alon Miasnikov
